You got a tux?
by seadragon10
Summary: Short songfic about their almost date. Fiesta! First fic so be nice and please review. Thanks! Thanks Forest Angel for the beta job!


Hi All. I wrote this quite some time ago, but couldn't get the courage to post it. Hope you'll enjoy anyways... It's a song by Eric Clapton and yes, he is singing about the long blond hair, but I took the liberty to change that. OH, and I do not own either the song or Flack. But I wish...

First fic writer so constructive criticism is welcome, flames can be spared. Thanks!

Thanks to Forest Angel for a wonderful beta job!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"**You got a tux?" **

She asked as she grinned at him, while the sparks in her eyes sent shivers down his spine. If he hadn't known better he could have sworn that Detective Bonasera was flirting with him. Not that he minded it! Just the opposite; he finally had a chance to see her in a fancy evening dress.

_Cool down buddy, we have work to do_! He reminded himself, but couldn't keep the excitement out of his mind. Now, hours later he was standing in front of her door and for the first time in his life he was nervous to pick up his date for the evening. Because it wasn't even a date. Or was it?

First his knock on the door was barely audible. _Get a_ _grip, man, it's only Stella. Your old friend! _A little angel on his shoulder whispered. _That's exactly the reason why you feel like a teenager._ The other little creature on his shoulder shouted in a warning tone. He absentmindedly shook his head, for the hundredth time that evening, and with a deep breath he knocked on the door again.

Soon he heard footsteps approaching the door and couldn't help but notice the delay. She must have been standing behind the door for a couple of seconds before he finally heard the locks move and her slim hands appeared at the crack.

"Sorry, I'm not ready yet. Can you just sit down in the living room and give me a few more minutes?" She asked and before Flack had a chance to look at her face she opened the door, turned around and rushed to her bedroom.

Flack was smiling to himself. _Women... _As he made himself comfortable on the couch his mind drifted to his girlfriend. _Devon was..._ Well, she was a sweet little thing and Flack liked her a lot. But – and he knew there is this but, that diminished the previous sentence – she wasn't the One. Just as he was about to make a funny comment on Stella taking too much time in the silence of the room he overheard the radio from the apartment next door.

_It's late in the evening  
She's wondering what clothes to wear  
She puts on her __makeup  
And brushes her long brown hair_

He chuckled to himself as he realized how well the song fit his current situation. He was about to lean back on the couch and enjoy the music, when he heard the door open and suddenly a very real voice filled the room.

"What do you think, Flack? Do I look alright?"

_  
And then she asks me  
Do I look alright  
And I say yes, you look wonderful tonight  
_

The smoky voice of Eric Clapton was the only sound to her question. Flack was unable to tear his eyes away from her... well; the dress just fit her perfectly and as he allowed himself a quick glance at her long legs his eyes slowly started to take a trip upwards. It wasn't long before his gaze reached her cleavage and after a short, really short halt his gaze settled on her face. The curls were hanging untamed around her beautiful face and while she was smiling broadly Flack could see the uncertainty in her green eyes.

Stella was nervous too, to say the least. After the fiasco with Frankie and Drew she had lost hope that one day a guy would find her attractive enough to take her anywhere. _Maybe this is my chance to get back into this dating game of fancy dresses, nervousness and butterflies in my stomach…_ The musing stopped right there with the butterflies as she remembered the case they were currently working on. Putting up a confident smile she stood in front of the detective in a some-would-call-it provocative pose.

Don's ambiguous smile didn't help a bit to ease the tension within her. Though he didn't give a verbal answer the way he looked at her from bottom up she felt those butterflies let loose and that gave her the answer she was waiting for.

The drive to the hall was spent in a comfortable silence, neither of them willing to break the ice and start small talk. Don kept his eyes firmly on the road and it took him all his willpower not to steal a glance at the lady sitting beside him. Stella was lost in her thoughts and when Flack stopped the car she was surprised to see that they had arrived.

Walking up the stairs was something Stella was secretly looking forward to. She wanted to prove to herself more than anything or anybody that she was still an attractive woman and wanted to feel wanted. Well, in a safe way anyways…

What she didn't know was that Flack was just as excited to see her taking those steps. Her hips made wonderful little movements each time she got closer to the entrance and this time the debate in his mind whether or not to look, heaven forbid stare, was over before it could have been started.

She looked absolutely stunning and he could only hope that she didn't catch him in the act.

For a few seconds he felt lightheaded and he allowed himself the luxury of believing that this was for real. That he wasn't a detective; that _she_ wasn't a detective; that they were _not_ working and maybe, just maybe she was here with him because she said yes to his invitation. No wonder his answer to the guard's question came so easy.

"Flack. Don Flack."

_  
_Stella tried hard to keep a straight face, but deep inside she felt just as careless and free as her handsome partner did. _Work partner_ of course she quickly admitted silently. She was annoyed with her thoughts and forced herself to concentrate on something, anything that would take her mind off of Flack, Don Flack.

_We go a party  
And everyone turns to see  
This beautiful lady  
That's walking around with me_

She started taking pictures while Flack found a spot close to a roulette table. His trained eyes scanned through the area systematically, taking in every little detail that might give away the killer. Every once in a while he rested his eyes on his date…_Work partner I mean_… and he felt a pang of jealousy when several men seemed more than cooperative when she approached them. The feeling sent alarming messages to his head and he nervously turned around.

_Gosh, she is gorgeous. Maybe I should be closer to her to protect her from these ogling eyes. __No, wait detective! Who are you kidding? She is stunningly smart, beautiful and … single. Why wouldn't she receive those appreciative looks? Shame on you, man, after all you are the one with a girlfriend! _

As the saying goes, speak of the Dev…

"Devon." The sight of his girlfriend quickly brought him back to reality, but not fast enough to catch her opening sentence. _Something about cops being hard… Dear Lord, please make Stella deaf right now!_

He should have known his luck better than hoping for the impossible. The next thing he heard was said woman whispering in his ears. "Tell her you'll make it up to her later."

"I'll make it up to you later." He repeated it without even thinking and was grateful to nobody in particular when he saw Devon's lips turning into a huge grin.

Stella was too far away to see anything but she could hear every single word loud and clear. Not only that, but the sharp intake of breath Flack had taken when his girlfriend appeared. She tried to be the helping friend so she said the first thing she would have wanted to hear from a guy in a situation like that. Painful as it was she had to remind herself that he wasn't single.

Nevertheless she couldn't have agreed more with Devon's parting comments. As if that woman knew that another attractive woman was listening to that conversation, she leant very close to Flack's ears and stated the obvious. "Spies are sexy."

_Hell, you are right on that one, girl!_ Stella smiled inside, but was aware of the people around her so she fought back the urge to act on it. She turned to the first man she spotted and slipped back into work mode to distract her mind.

It wasn't as easy as she first thought. Maybe that was the reason why she took only a quick glance at the picture. She was about to delete it when something caught her eye.

She tried to speak in a calm voice letting Flack know that the man they were after turned out to be a woman. She followed her and when the other woman turned around she saw a very confident detective asking about her suit.

Stella never understood why the suspects tried to escape when they were confronted with the truth. Maude was no exception. She started backing out of the hall and it took Flack only a second to throw himself after the running woman.

Stella quickly turned around and instead of chasing her she went to get the car in case the _Batmobile_ was around. Surely it didn't take long to confirm her theory. She drove the car around the building just in time to see Flack flying to the ground and the suspect taking off.

The chase wasn't as fancy as the first time and thanks to the smart preparations and that City Hall barrier, a short while later the suspect would be sitting in the interrogation room with a very pissed detective.

Don was angry with her for nearly killing him with her car. That was a valid feeling. But to be honest he was more upset with himself for blowing a perfect opportunity to be honest with Stella. After they put Maude in the police car he walked back to his car. He opened the door and sat down to calm his throbbing head He was working purely on adrenaline during the chase, but now that it was over he felt dizzy. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again he was faced with a deep cleavage. And a pair of worrying eyes. In that order.

_And then she asks me  
Do you feel alright  
And I say yes, I feel wonderful tonight_

Stella stood next to the car leaning over just a bit too much, but she didn't care. Her colleague and friend looked hurt and concern filled her heart.

Don was speechless and Stella had to repeat the question. He seemed to have lost his voice completely so he chose the least bad option and closed his eyes. He rested his head against the seat and felt the blood in his veins pulsing again at extremely high speed.

But this time it had nothing to do with the concussion he possibly had or the adrenaline that got released in his system every time he was chasing a bad guy. No. This time it had everything to do with the most amazing woman he had ever known. He could smell her perfume and he was certain he couldn't resist the temptation to run his fingers through her hair if he opened his eyes.

He took a deep breath to pull his thoughts together. When he felt confident enough to look at her without pressing his lips to hers he turned his head in the other direction and eventually opened his eyes.

"Yes, I feel wonderful tonight. Let's get back to the station and close this case"

An hour later Stella was watching Flack through the window as he tried to get a confession out of their suspect. He had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves and it took her a lot of effort to concentrate on Mac's words. Quickly they came to the same conclusion as Flack inside the room; she didn't murder the victim.

"What do you say, Bonasera, we go home and have a fresh start tomorrow?" He asked as he walked into the room behind the mirror.

"Yes, I guess there is not much to do here tonight. Let me grab my stuff from the office and we can go home. You wanna walk with me, Detective?" She raised an eyebrow and Flack couldn't keep his eyes from smiling back at her.

They stood quietly in front of the elevator. When the door opened he stepped further away so she could get in first. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Stella.

"I didn't even tell you before, but you looked very smart tonight."

"Well, thank you. I, felt very privileged myself, to have you as my date. You looked stunning, Stell"

"Just looked?" She asked and winked at him.

"Oh come on, Bonasera. You know exactly what I meant. Stop fishing for compliments." When Stella turned to him he quietly added. "This is off record, ok? You still look amazing and it has nothing to do with the dress. You should have seen the disappointment in the men's eyes when you turned away from them after taking their pictures. They could have eaten you alive with their eyes."

Stella was taken aback a bit by his speech. Maybe she was fishing for compliments. Maybe she wanted to test how far Flack is willing to go. Maybe she was just a woman realizing that she had feelings for a certain detective and suddenly his opinion was very important to her.

_I feel wonderful  
Because I see the love light in your eyes  
And the wonder of it all  
Is that you just don't realize  
How much I love you  
_

The drive home was quiet. Don tried to get the car keys, but Stella insisted that he wasn't feeling well enough to drive and after a night like that he didn't feel like arguing. Why would he, anyways? He learned long time ago not to argue with her. He remained quiet too when he realized that they arrived at her apartment block.

_It was his car and she had a guest room_ _so why not?_ She knew her reasoning wasn't strong enough and that she said that more to herself than to him. In her mind it seemed perfectly reasonable not to drive him to his place and then take his car to drive home. He wouldn't allow her to get into a cab and go home alone. He was her date after all!

Flack was thinking exactly the same thing, but was afraid to bring that up so he waited. After all he had been waiting for so long…

_  
It's time to go home now  
And I've got an aching head  
So I give her the car keys  
She helps me to bed  
_

She showed him the guest room and as much as he wouldn't want to face it he had to agree that the headache was getting worse and worse by the minute. While he went to the bathroom she quickly made the bed for him.

Flack walked back to his room and started to get ready for bed. For once he didn't want to be rational. He didn't want to think about tomorrow and how awkward it will be to sleep so close to her and yet so far away. He didn't know what to expect. He only knew that the bed was calling out his name loud enough to forget common sense and let Stella put the blanket over him.

Stella warmly smiled at him and asked if he needed anything else. He shook his head.

"What a date! Thank you for the wonderful time"

"Yeah" Stella said to hide her embarrassment. She was thinking the same thing and that made her blush. "Except that you got a concussion, we didn't catch the killer and we didn't even dance." She added the last part with a smile on her face to lighten the mood. Don couldn't let that pass by without a half serious half cocky grin.

"I'll make it up to you, Stell."

Stella was thankful for the dim light because her face was bright red at his comment. It reminded her that he said the same thing only hours before to another girl. She briefly closed her eyes and then slowly leaned to him. Her feather light kiss barely touched his forehead, but he could feel the warmth spreading through his entire body.

The painkillers, Stella had insisted he take when they reached her apartment started to kick in and even though there were so many things he wanted to tell her he felt exhaustion over taking him.

_And then I tell her  
As I turn out the light  
I say my darling, you were wonderful tonight_

The last coherent thought he had before his eyelids closed entirely was a vow: _"Tomorrow I will tell her..."_

_  
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight__…_


End file.
